Fighting the Fog

Michelle Richmond's The Year of Fog is a real page-turner, but not in the typical murder-suspense-whodunnit sense. It is so achingly real and heartbreaking that you must keep turning pages to see what happens next. During a morning walk on a foggy beach, a child disappears. Emma vanishes into the fog. Abby spends the next year searching through the fog--the literal fog that shrouds San Francisco, the analogous fog that shrouds her memory of that day, and the fog of sorrow that causes everyone except Abby to give up the search. The book takes us through the painful year of Abby's search. In flashbacks to her past, we are shown the full range of Abby's self and come to understand and emphathize with her. She is a professional photographer who is trained to view things analytically, so she returns again and again to her last views of Emma, searching for a clue that will lead to the lost girl. You'll have to read the book to discover whether Abby's persistence pays off.

Another Hit for Anita

Anita Shreve's newest release, Body Surfing, will not disappoint her many fans. Shreve has a remarkable way of telling a story. Her prose is not flowery or fancy. She just tells it like it is. This character did that. That character thought this. The effect is amazing--a truly sensitive and subtle rendering of real life. You CARE about the characters. You sigh and gasp and smile. And the house that has popped up in many of her books--The Pilot's Wife, Fortune's Rock, etc.--is a major part of the story. Although set in a beach house, it is not a typical "beach read," but it's a winner.

One Good Story

Kate Atkinson has done it again. One Good Turn is one good detective story. Jackson Brodie, of Case Histories fame, is visiting Edinburgh with his "girlfriend" Julia. He is left to his own devices for most days, since Julia is preparing for and performing in a theater production for the Edinburgh Film Festival. Although Jackson is now retired from the police force, he just can't help himself. He still keeps finding crimes. Atkinson writes the book from several points of view--we hear from Martin Canning, a dull man whose writes Nancy Drew-like detective stories, Gloria Hatter, whose husband is a powerful and nasty real estate developer, and Louise Monroe, a police inspector with a tart tongue and a sassy attitude. Each character harbors a secret, and each is connected in some fashion to a road-rage incident on the streets of Edinburgh. Most is not what it seems at first, and stories and characters are nestled within the stories of others, just like the matryoshka (nested Russian dolls) that show up here and there in the story. Although death and violence are critical parts of the story, they don't overwhelm, and when all is said and done, the bad guys satisfactorily get their due.

Time to Travel

This time of year, many folks start searching for the perfect vacation books--light enough in weight to pack in your suitcase, light enough in subject matter to read at the beach. Audrey Niffeneggers' The Time Traveler's Wife does not fit either of those categories. But it nevertheless is a perfect vacation book--some romance, some suspense, some humor, and some heartbreak. Oh, and of course, a lot of traveling. Just not the type you're probably used to. And Henry and Clare don't experience the typical meet-date-fall in love-marry-have kids-retire to sunny Florida type of relationship. Their relationship is sweet, tender, and heart-breaking. Although their love is deep and genuine, they cannot depend on each other, because of Henry's "problem"--his involuntary, spontaneous time traveling. They first meet when Clare is 6 and Henry is 36, but they REALLY meet when she is 20 and he is 28. Confused? So was I for about the first 50 pages. It's hard to wrap your mind around the whole concept of time travel. But don't give up. The rewards of reading this book are well worth it. It's a beautiful, thought-provoking book that celebrates love. It is NOT a science fiction book but is a contemporary love story in which the reader must simply suspend belief and let the story unfold. Give it a try.

Romance: the Cure for Winter Blues

There is no shortage of romance novels on the shelves of your local library. If you're looking for something a little different, however, with terrific characters, some tears, some laughs, and, yes, that heart-tugging romance you crave, check out Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos. It has some unexpected turns, and some predictable scenarios, too, but the characters are what gives this book its special glow. The characters are REAL. You can imagine sitting beside them in a coffee shop, or passing them on the street, or meeting them at the library. The book starts out one way, with 30-something Cornelia seeking romance in one way, but finding true love in an entirely different direction. Sarah Jessica Parker is set to co-produce and co-star in the film version, too, which is due out in 2008. So you can get a head start and read the book now!